Devastating Fire in Drôme: A Lament for Lost Natural Heritage and Wildlife

Die (Drôme), report

« We are in the eye of the storm », warns Alexandre Bringard, visibly exhausted. From his terrace in the valley of the Chapias hamlet, this resident of Die witnessed the beginnings of Drôme’s worst fire, which scorched over 4,400 hectares of forest before being officially contained on Thursday, July 16.

The initial flames, sparked by thunderstorms on Wednesday, June 24, were quelled by several passes of water-bombing aircraft, the resident recalls. However, a week later, Alexandre noticed new smoke rising from the mountain and the fire descending the cliff.

His peaceful hamlet then turned into a war zone, « amid the rotation of bombers, Dash aircraft, Pumas, and nearly 200 vehicles passing by day and night », he describes. Despite the efforts, these resources were insufficient to halt the fire, which spread daily.

In Diois, while firefighters receive substantial support from the community, the deployed resources have been criticized. « They let it burn », says one resident. « Some mountain areas were too inaccessible for ground operations. Firefighters had to wait for the fire to come down before attempting to extinguish it », adds another.

This is confirmed by the firefighters, who a week earlier told Decatur Metro: « We defend critical points such as dwellings and populations. The goal is to keep the fire within its perimeter, but we’re not going to take extraordinary risks to save a few hectares of forest. »

The national shortage of water-bombing aircraft is locally perceived as one of the reasons for the fire’s severity and the inevitable « sacrifice » of the Justin massif to save other sites currently aflame around the country. According to firefighters, the priority is to address new fires and ensure the safety of people and property.

This is why, on Tuesday, July 7, as the fire escalated, the water-bombing aircraft expected in Drôme for several days were sent to Corsica instead, to extinguish a fire that had started a few hours earlier in Vero. « I wouldn’t want to be in their shoes, having to prioritize intervention areas », comments another resident.

« They did what they could with the resources they had, says Catherine Zeig, a local resident. I have a lot of empathy for the firefighters, but at the same time, I’m also quite dissatisfied with how things were managed. »

In this « very disadvantaged » valley, the Drôme resident, who spent several years in Paris, believes that the natural heritage plays an essential role. « The value of Diois is its beautiful spaces. They need to be protected », she says.

Though the fire no longer spreads today, the situation is not entirely resolved yet. « It can still burn underground, explains Alexandre Bringard. On July 17, the National Forestry Office came to Chapias to ask residents to clear underbrush », he recounts.

In the distance, the rumble of machinery can be heard. Blackthorns, dogwoods, clematis, oaks, brambles… One by one, the plants fall to the ground. « It’s heartbreaking », Alexandre admits. For this nature lover, an entire ecosystem has been compromised by this tragedy.

« We are on a remarkable site », he says, pointing at the stream. Here, protected species like the white-clawed crayfish and the beaver usually frolic, surrounded by numerous reptiles, reputed to be abundant in the area. « So much so that the Short-toed Snake Eagles [birds of prey that primarily feed on snakes] come to hunt in the valley », the property owner illustrates.

Alexandre pauses to look through binoculars hanging around his neck. « There’s smoke, I need to go check », he apologizes as he pulls out his phone to alert the firefighters, still deployed nearby.

Across the hamlet, on the other side of the river, the northern slope of the mountain, blackened in places, reminds that the threat still looms… Here, conifers seem to have paid a heavy price. While still standing, they now display a brown color that leaves little doubt about their health. Only a few patches of greenery still exist here and there.

These trees are mostly black pines, a species massively planted since the late 19th century to prevent soil erosion. This monoculture, often disliked, has also been the subject of much criticism since the tragedy.

« Black pine is the worst species. We’ve known for a long time that it’s all flammable », denounces a resident of Die who insists that this fire was expected in an area where pastoralism has almost disappeared.

« This species was, at the time, a necessary condition to restore the forest and maintain arable lands », moderates Claude Veyret, a retired farmer, whose ancestors witnessed these trees rising in the landscape. And he adds: « Maybe the fire will be an opportunity to shift gears and plant something other than conifers. »

For now, the situation remains urgent. In this still inaccessible massif occupied by firefighters, animals have fled the area hastily. Deer, chamois, wild boars, foxes, badgers… « On Monday [July 20], there was even a deer on the path, Alexandre is surprised. In twenty years at Chapias, I had never seen one near the dwellings. »

The uncertainty remains for those who could not escape: « The Griffon Vultures, for example, had returned to the Justin massif in recent years, tells Gilbert David, former forest ranger of the massif and now vice-president of the League for the Protection of Birds in Drôme. At the time of the fire, their nests were hosting fifteen young that could not yet fly… »

In a solemn tone, he lists the birds present in these mountains he has roamed for over forty years now, from the Golden Eagle to the Black Kite, including tits, goldfinches, and greenfinches. For these, it’s the second brood that might have fallen victim to the flames.

« But we still don’t know what the damages are, the naturalist tempers. There are different types of fires. Here, it seems that in some areas, the fire moved quickly and mostly at ground level. Some parts were probably completely spared. We will know for sure in a few weeks. » 

« We’ve known this for thirty-five years, repeats a local environmental activist from the early days. In recent decades, many residents of Diois have worked to preserve fauna, restore rivers… And it’s been a success, we see it with the return of the beaver, the chamois, the otter, the four vultures, the white-clawed crayfish, etc. But because of climate denial, all this has been thrown away ! »

Climate denial has weakened ecosystems long before the fire broke out. In Diois, this fire is another blow to the wildlife. « Even though the animals managed to escape, the question of available resources will arise as drought prevails everywhere », reminds Béatrice Venard, from the Diois biodiversity collective.

For the president of the local hunting association, Mikaël Murat, this « temporary overpopulation » in certain areas could thus have consequences on the crops, which the wildlife might feed on.

He assures, however, that some species should quickly return to the scene of the tragedy: « The roe deer loves fresh shoots, in a year it will be the first to recolonize the area ! » An optimism shared by the vice-president of the LPO who believes that the thick bark of the black pines may have protected them against the flames.

Yet, the majority of a forest’s biodiversity resides in the soil, through which the fire seems to have propagated on the Justin massif. « It’s often less known and less visible but there are a lot of beetles and microorganisms », details a naturalist from the area.

On the Justin, in this young forest of black pines, « the fire arrived just as the vegetation began to diversify, emphasizes Gilbert David. They say it takes 700 years to make a forest and this plantation is only 150 years old. »